Taste of the Month: Breakfast on Boal Serves Up Hometown Favorites with a Southwest Edge

As the sun rises over Boalsburg, diners of all ages seeking eggs, coffee and community flock to Breakfast on Boal. The restaurant along Boal Avenue offers a variety of breakfast favorites with local influences and Southwestern inspiration.

Longtime friends and owners Brad Holzwarth and Mike Smoczynski opened Breakfast on Boal in May 2022.

“It’s been really cool to meet our customers over the last year,” Holzwarth says.

The duo grew up in Boalsburg and, after Smoczynski returned to the area from Colorado, they decided to fill the need for a sit-down breakfast restaurant outside of town. Holzwarth and Smoczynski are self-described morning people, so breakfast was the natural choice.

“It’s cool to be able to provide the community with that,” Smoczynski says.

Holzwarth and Smoczynski designed the menu to include breakfast classics like pancakes and French toast while incorporating influences from Smoczynski’s time in Colorado.

“We wanted to be different,” Smoczynski says.

Their use of chorizo, green chile sauce and homemade jams and muffins set the restaurant apart from other eateries in the area.

Opening at seven each morning except Mondays, Breakfast on Boal serves a variety of breakfast sandwiches, platters and sides. Popular dishes include the B.O.B Sandwich (locally homemade brioche bun, egg, cheese and choice of meat with a side of potatoes) and Boalsburg Breakfast (two eggs your way with potatoes, toast and choice of protein).

Holzwarth recommends the Chorizo Hash, a crispy bed of seasoned shredded potatoes with chorizo, onions and peppers. The serving is large and comes with two eggs and toast, which can be accompanied by a made-in-house jam like the summery blueberry lemon.

The duo also says the Breakfast Burrito is a great way to fill up and sample Southwestern tastes. The dish includes fluffy and moist scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese and the diner’s choice of protein wrapped in a tortilla with an accompanying side of the flavorful green chile. The sauce pairs well with the burrito, enhancing the flavors without too intense of a spicy kick. It is a great addition to the breakfast classics offered on the menu.

“Those kinds of things are unique to us. They differentiate us from others,” Holzwarth says of the menu options.

The menu also boasts area favorites like the world-famous Grilled Stickies from Ye Olde College Diner. The pastries are sliced, glazed, grilled and dusted with powdered sugar, bringing back old State College memories.

For those seeking an offering on the lighter side, consider the Pine Street Parfait, which includes layers of fresh fruit and yogurt with homemade granola. Diners can also try a homemade muffin (flavors rotate each season as fresh ingredients become available) or the Avocado Toast (served on sourdough with tomato, arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pickled red onion).

Breakfast on Boal is a place for everyone—from families with young children to retirees and everyone in between. The restaurant offers a Little Boalsburg Breakfast for the kiddos, which includes one scrambled egg, one strip of bacon and a silver dollar pancake.

Holzwarth and Smoczynski say diners often walk from Boalsburg, while others stop by on their drive in or out of State College. Holzwarth says their popularity has been a bit of a grassroots movement.

“Someone drives by, sees it, and comes in,” he says. “Someone’s neighbors say they’ve been here, so they come to check it out.”

Breakfast on Boal is located at 603 Boal Avenue, near Route 45 in Boalsburg. Its location is great for those seeking a breakfast spot outside of downtown State College and for those driving on Route 322. 

Smoczynski says new faces continue to appear in the dining room, and both owners are excited to continue serving local and visiting diners while sharing a little bit of Boalsburg with them.

“We’re two local kids doing local breakfast in Boalsburg,” Holzwarth says.

“We really grew up together,” Smoczynski adds, pointing to a register counter where a framed photo of younger versions of themselves is displayed.

Holzwarth and Smoczynski’s pride for their hometown is a major theme at Breakfast on Boal. When customers enter the front door, they are met with a wall of photos from the Boalsburg Heritage Museum. Smoczynski says it all comes back to their upbringing in the area.

“We wanted to connect everything together and show some of the history,” he says. “It’s a really cool area that has treated us well.”

The breakfast and host counters at Breakfast on Boal are also a nod to local history. The duo says PA Redeemed Woodworks created the furniture using locally sourced reclaimed wood. T&G

Hannah Pollock is a freelance writer in State College.